Air pollution in Kampala 8 times higher than set by WHO – Nema 

The National Environment Management Authority (Nema) says the air pollution level in Kampala is eight times higher than the recommended standard.

Dr Barirega Akankwasah, the Nema executive director, said the air pollution in the city has increased from 39.5 microgram per cubic metre (μg/m³ ) in 2019 to the current 41 μg/m³. He said this is eight times higher than the recommended guideline of 5 μg/m³ set by the World Health Organisation (WHO).

“This means that our air is increasingly getting polluted and we must take deliberate measures to address the factors causing the pollution,” Mr Akankwasah said.

He said transport is the leading cause of air pollution followed by domestic and biomass burning, industrial emissions and dust released from tarmacked roads.

Mr Akankwasah, who was addressing journalists at the government’s Media Centre in Kampala yesterday, said Uganda will mark the Air Quality Week from May 6 to 10.

He said the week is aimed at raising public awareness of the importance of air quality to human health and the environment and what we can do to constantly improve air quality.

Mr Akankwasah urged Ugandans to enforce timely vehicle servicing and use of good quality fuel as a measure to curb the increasing level of Air pollution

He said when a vehicle is not well serviced or is using bad fuel, it emits a lot of fumes that pollute the environment.

Mr Akankwasah said the compromised air quality in Uganda increases disease burden and about 31,600 people die from air pollution-related diseases annually.

He said the government has come up with the National Standards and Regulations for Air Quality that will be unveiled during the Air Quality Week to address issues of air pollution.

He said the government would ban certain engine technologies from coming into Uganda.

“We need to move to using new cars because the world has moved on and we cannot continue killing ourselves because of cheap comfort. You may think you are comfortable when you are actually breathing yourself to death,” he said.

“We shall be announcing engine technologies which have been listed in the new standards and regulations and any vehicle that does not meet that standard will not be allowed on Uganda roads,” he added.

The regulations also require all industries to install automated air quality monitors that transmit data automatically to the central database and those that emit above the limit will require permits and will be penalized for excess emissions.

“This way, industries that use green technologies will save money and those using old technologies will have to be penalised. And after the grace period, certain technologies will be declared banned in line with the regulations, “he said.

Under the same regulations, all industries will also be required to install scrubbers, electrostatic precipitators and fabric filters to reduce industrial emissions.

Dr Rebecca Nantanda from Makerere Lung Institute said air pollution affects all age groups and permeates the body from the lungs to the rest of the body parts.

She said air pollution also causes pneumonia, asthma, among others.

“Because when the bad air particles enter your lungs, they find their way into the blood vessels and can affect other parts of the body, including the heart. So we have heart attacks, people dying from heart attacks, we have people dying from strokes because of the air we breathe,” Dr Nantanda said.

THE IMPACT OF AIR POLLUTION ON HEALTH

Air pollution is the presence of one or more contaminants in the atmosphere, such as dust, fumes, gas, mist, odour, smoke or vapour, in quantities and duration that can be injurious to human health.

     The main pathway of exposure from air pollution is through the respiratory tract.   

     Breathing in these pollutants leads to inflammation, immunosuppression, and mutagenicity in cells throughout our body, impacting the lungs, heart, brain among other organs and ultimately leading to diseases such as  ischaemic heart disease, chronic lung cancer, pneumonia, and cataract (household air pollution only). 

    There is suggestive evidence also linking air pollution exposure with increased risk for adverse pregnancy outcomes (i.e. low-birth weight, small for gestational age), diabetes, cognitive impairment and neurological diseases.

Source: WHO